BASD students fell short in two areas
By Alex Johnson
Correspondent
The Burlington Area School District students scored above the state average in 15 of 17 grade and subject levels on the Wisconsin Forward exam last year, according to district officials.
Assistant Superintendent for Instructional Services Connie Zinnen reported Monday to the Curriculum Committee the district’s scores on the state test, which is required for all students in third through eighth grades and high school sophomores.
“The score represents students who scored proficient or advanced. We can then assume the others were not – they were either basic or minimal,” explained Zinnen.
The two areas the school district fell below the state average in 2016-2017 were fifth graders in math, receiving a score of 40.2 compared to the state average of 45.3, and 10th graders in social studies with a score of 46.4, which is just below the state average of 46.6.
Another score noted by the board was the fourth grade math score from 2015-2016, a score of 56.3 compared to the score in 2016-2017, a score of 44.5, which is a decrease of about 12 points.
Zinnen responded saying, “There were no changes in curriculum, no significant changes to Response in Intervention, and no supports were taken away.”
Zinnen added that with the WKCE exam in the past, administration and educators could look at exam results through “item analysis,” allowing closer examination of where students faltered and where curriculum could be improved.
The mandatory Wisconsin Forward Exam does not allow for a closer examination through item analysis due to possible “infidelity in testing” because of exams being reused and recycled in past years.
Zinnen and her team have also developed goals for the current academic year to further student success.
These goals include universal access for all students, meaning “all students having access to core curriculum, high expectations,” clearly articulated learning goals, high level instruction, and ensuring special education students are scheduled in core curriculum.
Zinnen said the scores remain consistent for the past two years with some “minor variation throughout grade levels,” but “the (Forward Exam) is just one area of achievement.”
Third through eighth graders take the exam in the subject areas of English language arts and mathematics, while students in the fourth and eighth grades also test in science. Tenth graders are tested in four subject areas, including social studies.
This is the second year the Wisconsin Forward exam has been in place, Wisconsin previously used the WKCE testing program, followed by the Badger Exam testing program.
Exams are taken online between the middle of March and the beginning of May and results are delivered to the district in early September.
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